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Bell from Bow<br />
Celine Bell reflects on September's hidden<br />
opportunity for change<br />
Every January we see the same tired ‘New<br />
Year: New You’ messaging. It pushes us to<br />
get to the gym, to change jobs, to start a<br />
new chapter, to turn over a fresh leaf. It’s an<br />
outpouring of clichés to an audience that<br />
is still hungover and broke from Christmas,<br />
getting back into the swing of the commute<br />
and the day job after mince pies and too<br />
much Baileys.<br />
How many of those new year resolutions<br />
are cast off by grey February? And how<br />
much harder is it to get back into the swing<br />
of work, with its deadlines and targets and<br />
spreadsheets and meetings, when you’ve got<br />
the added pressure of a gym class to fit in<br />
around the supermarket list, finding missing<br />
mittens and taking the cat to the vet?<br />
For me, it’s not a time to start afresh. For a start, it’s too cold and dark. I want to hunker down with<br />
Netflix, eat hearty warming foods and stay at home. It’s infinitely preferable to polishing my CV or taking<br />
a HIIT class. And besides, there are still the dregs of Baileys to finish off.<br />
September has a very different vibe. This year my son starts school. I remember my mother dreading<br />
the August scramble round Woolworths to get new stationary, the trip to Clark's for shiny new shoes and<br />
the new haircut that ensured you looked slightly startled in front of the school gates. With Woolworths<br />
long gone and the Ocado order bringing pencil cases as well as pizza and pineapples, it’s a less stressful<br />
end to the summer, and I intend to enjoy the preparation with my excited four-year-old.<br />
After the love-bomb of the royal wedding, a hot, hot summer and the excitement of the oh-so-near<br />
football, it’s probably time for a new schedule. The school run will become the new norm, and bring with<br />
it new faces. My son will try new sports, and learn an instrument. And perhaps I should take his lead and<br />
try something new.<br />
Parenting gets you stuck in a rut. Everything changes with the arrival of a first baby, and it’s easy to lose<br />
spontaneity. This back-to-school season let the browning of the leaves inspire you to make your own<br />
changes.<br />
Best of luck from all at LoveEAST to all those<br />
starting on new school adventures in September!<br />
ABOUT CELINE<br />
Mum from bow, gin addict, perma-knackered, fan of food,<br />
coffee and cheese. Follow Celine for more adventures in<br />
parenting:<br />
@bell_from_bow<br />
@bell_from_bow<br />
bellfrombow.com<br />
LOVEEAST JUNE - JULY 2018 17
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